Hh, this is mah story Affettuoso. According to The Free Dictionary, "affettuoso" means: adv.1.(Mus.) With feeling.

So, this story is supposed to have emotion. I give no guarantees or any time back if you're not satisfied, though. This was written for the second writing challenge at the Fireplace Alliance forum. We were supposed to use a song and interpret the lyrics, so to speak.

Disclaimer: I do not own either La Bayadère or "Demo (Letzter Tag)." With La Bayadère, the libretto is by Marius Petipa and Sergei Khudekov. "Demo (Letzter Tag)" is a song sung by Herbert Grönemeyer.

So, uh, enjoy. Hopefully.

Weiß man, wie oft ein Herzbrechen kann?Wie viele Sinne hatder Wahn?

(Do we know how often a heartcan break?How much sense is there ininsanity?)

-Herbert Grönemeyer, "Demo (Letzter Tag)"

Her body freezes as sharp teeth sink into her neck. She can feel the blood being drawn own of her body, can feel the blood dripping down her chest until she realizes what has happened. She rips the snake off of her body, throwing it as far away as she can. It lands on the floor, and she watches as her beloved and his wife just sit there, calm as can be. And then she's gasping for air, her eyes wide and almost emotionless as she runs in circles, almost innocently, like a young girl dancing under the rain. But she's not a young girl, she's not dancing, it's not raining. Maybe not on the outside.

But for her, on the inside, her world is collapsing under the weight of the rain. As her feet start to fail her, as her body almost breaks beneath her, she finds the strength to lift her arm and point it accusingly towards his bride. And then she is right next to her, wanting to ask why, but she cannot because she has been slapped in the face, both literally and emotionally. Because as she feels the fresh sting of pain across her face, and as her body continues to drip blood and sweat, she sees the one man that she's ever loved turn to look at his wife and press a kiss to her knuckles, the way he used to do it for her. And then she's running away, dancing away moments before she drops to the ground.

She cannot move. She lies there, her chest heaving as she gasps for breath, the air rattling in her throat. Her eyes search for him, yearn for him. She hears her name being called, but it's the wrong voice. She cannot turn her head because she is afraid of losing sight of him. She cannot stand the thought of turning away and closing her eyes for an instant, because he is the only one she needs.

But he won't look at her; his eyes are half closed, his body turned away. He is completely stiff, rigid. She can't see him bite his lip hard enough to draw blood, but she can see the hatred in his eyes. She thinks it's for her, thinks that she's keeping him from marrying that gorgeous, rich woman standing beside him. And she knows that she won't get in his way if he wants someone else.

Does he know her? Does he know that she will do anything for him? He just has to tell her, and she will do it. "Kill yourself." So be it. She will do it. "Die for me." And she will do anything he commands her to. But this time, he has no commands. No words can express his sorrow, none can tell her that he really only loves her. And her heart begins to shatter.

She finally turns towards the other man, reaching for the small vial he holds out to her. And she realizes that this man, this man who loves her, this man who claims to do anything for her, knew that she would die today. And he won't save her. The vial nearly drops from her fingers as she gingerly lifts herself off of the ground. She turns back to her lover. But he still won't look at her, so she doesn't know that he feels as if it was all his fault.

But she cannot help but wonder; had he lied to her? He had told her that he loved her, that he wanted her to run away with him, with nothing but their love to sustain them for the rest of their lives. And then she can feel the feelings he feels for his wife; the lust, the utterly enchanting feelings of love that emanate from his body. And she knows that she is ruined.

But she cannot feel anything except the pain in her chest, the feeling of her heart smashing into pieces as her body drops to the ground, crashing into the floor. And then there is nothing but the blood from the snake bite, streaming quietly and peacefully across her neck. The shards are left inside. No one will know.

She cannot move. Her body is motionless and compliant as he lifts it up into his arms, holding her close to him as the world crashes down on him. And he knows now that there is no escape from this fate, this life without her. And then his wife smiles.

There is nothing he can do. Nothing. He can only stand on the side, watching as her dark brown hair falls in waves down her back, before it crashes down into the floor. There is a low thump as her head hits the ground. And then it was over. She was dead. Really dead, and he could do nothing but watch.

But suddenly his legs are moving, he's taking quick steps towards the corpse. He falls onto his knees, unable to really comprehend what was going on. He wraps his arms around her; her weight still feel insignificant, her body is still firm and warm in his hands. But her eyes are closed. Those eyes of hers, that haunting shade of brown that had always attracted him to her, they're gone.

He can't see them anymore. He wishes he could, wishes he had the strength to close her eyes. But he doesn't want to forget what her eyes look like. He doesn't want to forget how much she means to him, how much he loves her.

And then he's pulled back, his shirt stretching almost until it rips. He can smell the alcohol on the other man's breathe, the man who killed her. And he knows now that he's the only one who can avenge her. But he's wrong. Just like he was wrong when he thought that he'd be able to find a way to leave with her. And then he knows that he cannot change his fate now, and that he is doomed to live with this woman who cares only for power and riches, beauty and luxury. And then his body freezes as he realizes that this is his choice.So, uh thanks for reading!

-review whores-

So, uh, explanation. The lyrics mean, in English, "Do we know how often a heart can break? How much sense is there in insanity?" And, I guess, this shows Nikiya, the main character, going sort of crazy because her heart's broken. Her lover, Solor, has married another woman (well, he's betrothed, but whatever), who hates her. She, Nikiya, is invited to dance at the betrothal ceremony, and her dance is sad and whatnot. And after the sad part of the dance, she is given a basket of flowers, supposedly from Solor. She dances with that, and is happy; when she finishes dancing, a snake crawls out of the basket and bites her. She ends up dying.

So, I mean, she goes crazy because her heart's broken. Nothing's really supposed to make sense to her, because she's insane.

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